AN investigation has been launched into the events that led to a passenger waiting at a train station being hit on the head by a piece of stone dislodged by a passing train.

Elliot Furniss

AN investigation has been launched into the events that led to a passenger waiting at a train station being hit on the head by a piece of stone dislodged by a passing train.

The incident happened at Marks Tey station this morning at about 7.40am when a freight train travelling from London appeared to dislodge some pieces of ballast - blocks of stone that surround the line.

One passenger who was waiting for a service to London was struck on the forehead and paramedics were called to the scene.

An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said the man had suffered only a minor injury to his forehead and did not require hospital treatment.

National Express East Anglia, which runs passenger services along the route, and Network Rail, which manages the line, are to launch a joint investigation into the events to establish how the ballast managed to break loose.

A Network Rail spokesman said: “There was an incident at around 7.40am this morning which involved a freight train passing through the station.

“Some ballast came up from underneath the train and struck a couple of people on the station. I believe that one person sustained injuries and we will be investigating exactly what happened.”

He said it was a “very rare thing” to happen and staff were trying to work out why the ballast had come in to contact with the train.

He added: “We're sorry that somebody has been injured in this incident and will look closely into what has gone on.”

Work along the line led to delays of about 30 minutes for most services on the route during the morning leaving many commuters facing a late start.

A spokesman for national Express East Anglia confirmed that all trains were running back to normal by lunchtime.

She said: “It has disrupted much of the services for most of the morning.”